South County : Both Deputy, Suspect Are in Fair Condition
An Orange County sheriff’s deputy and a suspected car thief were both listed in fair condition Tuesday with wounds they suffered in a running gun battle Monday in the Nellie Gail Ranch residential area.
The deputy, Steve Ripple, 32, was shot by a suspect identified as 25-year-old Matthew G. Kaufman. The bullet grazed Ripple’s forehead and left him with a concussion.
Authorities said Kaufman led deputies on a 5-mile chase before the shoot-out occurred on Sundowner Drive. Kaufman was shot in the chest and a second bullet grazed his forehead. Both men were taken to Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo.
The chase began in Mission Viejo when a deputy approached the driver of a car that been reported stolen from the San Francisco area last month.
As the deputy neared the car, the driver sped away, triggering the chase.
Sheriff’s Department spokesman Lt. Richard J. Olson said the district attorney’s office is investigating, a routine practice in officer-involved shootings.
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